BUCKINGHAM PALACE AND THE LOWER THAMES

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Another beautiful day in London Town and I’m off for a two-hour walk around the Palace area and the West End. We started out at Big Ben (St. Stephens Tower) and headed off through St. James Park towards Buckingham Palace. We hurried along so that we could see the guards. The park was filled with people enjoying the great weather, reading, playing with the kids or their dog, the ducks, geese and swans honking. We found a great spot along the Mall just around the corner from St. James Palace. The New Guards paraded by, band playing, scarlet coats brilliant in the sunshine. These soldiers will replace the guards currently on duty. After they passed we followed our guide through the park and to the area where the old Guards were guarding.
There are five groups of palace guards, the elite units of the service. The guards retiring were the Irish Guards with a beautiful Irish Wolf-hound as the Mascot at the front, followed by a band and then the soldiers. These men are predominately Irish from both the north and the Republic although any qualified soldiers can apply. But, the guards cannot recruit except from the northern Irish. These men are highly trained soldiers and carry the latest models of automatic assault weapons that are loaded and ready to use. In these days of Al Qaeda, the times of the changing of the guards are random, within a couple of hour perimeter.
We never saw the actual changing ceremony but we also didn’t have to fight our way through the crowds and we had an up close and personal look at the soldiers. I was pleased. Now that the pressure of time was off we strolled up to the Palace. No one appeared on the balcony but then the Queen wasn’t in residence. We meandered up the Mall, past Clarence House where Charles, Camilla and Andy live and they were in residence but not available for tea.
We strolled past Lancaster House where so many important international negotiations take place. This house is suited to the purpose as it has a large central room surrounded by small rooms where delegates can go to confer.
We continued down the Mall and just as we approached St. James Palace, who should appear but the Irish Guards, Wolfhound, band and all, marching to their barracks. This afforded another close up and personal photo opportunity.
The Mall is paved in red stone and provided a wonderful flight path for the German bombers during WWII. The followed the red road to the Palace and dropped their bombs. Sometimes, elegance and ceremony can backfire.
After about 2 ½ hours our walk ended at Trafalgar Square. The commentary was great, the walk invigorating and the history fascinating.
Since the day was so beautiful I decided to take another Thames boat ride, this one down stream to the flood barrier. Begun in 1976 and opened in 1982, this engineering marvel cost approximately 450 million pounds. People were outraged at the cost. Since it opened it has been used over one hundred times, saving London from disastrous flooding and saving untold billions of pounds. It is estimated that to reopen the flooded London underground just once would cost 1 billion pounds. Imagine if the Army Corp of Engineers had done their job how much of New Orleans would have been saved.
We stopped at Greenwich where I could have gotten off and checked out the Greenwich Meridian but I really just wanted to be on the water. The round trip took four hours and we sailed by the wharves now luxury flats, historic pubs, a replica of the Globe Theater of Shakespeare’s time and a copy of the Golden Hind that has already circumnavigated the globe twice and is preparing to do so again. Helen Mirran has a lovely home right on the riverfront. I waved as we passed. And so ended my last day in London.
I returned to the hotel, had delicious mussels for dinner and went up to pack.

Hotel notes: Like most European hotels there is a slot by the door for your key. It activates the lights in the room. That way you can never leave the lights on when you leave unless you leave your key too. Mine was a little quirky and I had to have someone check them out a couple of times when the entire room went dark. All of the hotel employees I met were foreign, most from the central European countries. The same goes for the Restaurants and pubs I visited. The majority of the hotel staff is gay. My favorite waiter could be Agador Spartacus’ younger brother (or sister). The night clerk Wendy has a small mustache. They were friendly, helpful and made sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. The last night, Wendy gave me a 25% off coupon for my food and beverages at dinner. I would definitely stay there again.
Like New York, London is a multicultural city. Everywhere I went the main language I heard was not English but some Eastern European language or French or Russian. I heard a smattering if Spanish and Italian as well as German.
Today’s discovery: Greater London is actually two cities; London, which is the center of commerce, and Westminster, which is the center of government. I was actually staying in Westminster. There is a tablet in Trafalgar Square that marks the center of Greater London.

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Photos

THE IRISH GUARDS
AND THEIR DOG SPOT

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
VERY WELL GUARDED

THE FLOOD BARRIER
A MARVEL

THE FLOOD BARRIER
NOTE THAT ONE OF THE BARRIERS IS CLOSED

ON THE THAMES
EVERY FLAT HAS A RIVER VIEW AND A BALCONY

TOWER BRIDGE
JUST BEAUTIFUL